Tag Archive: Skoota Warner

Hot Tuna, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, returns to the Beacon Theatre for two nights on December 9 and 10, 2011 to celebrate the music and the fun sparked off by the release of Steady As She Goes, their first studio album in 20 years. Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, David Bromberg, Charlie Musselwhite, GE Smith and Steve Kimock will join electric Hot Tuna with band members extrordinaire Barry Mitterhoff and Skoota Warner for the 8 p.m. shows. The Beacon is at 2124 Broadway, New York City. For tickets and more information: www.beacon.theatre-

Helping them celebrate at the Beacon will be special guests, Charlie Musselwhite, master of the harmonica, who toured along with Hot Tuna and Jim Lauderdale earlier this year on the Hot Tuna Blues tour will be hanging with the guys for the weekend. Charlie’s talented harmonica playing and history steeped in the blues is a perfect blend to the Hot Tuna being served! So if you missed Charlie with Tuna earlier this year. Now is your chance.

During their more than four decade long career Jorma and Jack have created some of the most significant music of our time and Steady As She Goes shows that they remain one of the most innovative bands in American music. Recorded at Levon Helm’s studio and produced by Grammy-winning producer Larry Campbell, the album captures the energy of their live performances with Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin, drummer Skoota Warner (Cyndi Lauper, Matisyahu, Santana) as well as Campbell joining them on guitar, fiddle, organ and vocals and Theresa Williams on vocals.

David Bromberg, often referred to as the guitarist’s guitarist, will be joining Hot Tuna at the Beacon too! Jorma and David find themselves performing together a few times each year, and their roots run deep. It will be interesting to see if he comes acoustic or electric . . . only one way to find out!

GE Smith has to be one of the most sought after session players around. He has performed and recorded with an exceptionally wide spectrum of influential artists from Bob Dylan, Eddie Van Halen, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Rickie Lee Jones, Al Green, Bryan Ferry, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Lonnie Mack and the list…too long to print.

Steve Kimock, who has earned a living wowing all kinds of audiences with his extraordinary guitar abilities, will also be joining the guys for the weekend. Steve adds a new element to the Tuna stew with his wide range of playing styles that can progress from jazz-influenced rhythms to Roky Erikson (13th Floor Elevators) styled psychedelic leads.
Get Your Tickets Now! Before it sells out like last year!

Red House Records and Hot Tuna are proud to announce the official release of Steady As She Goes, Hot Tuna’s first studio album in 20 years.

Steady As She Goes proves that Hot Tuna remains one of the most innovative bands in American music. Recorded at Levon Helm’s studio and produced by Grammy-winning producer Larry Campbell, the album captures the energy of Hot Tuna’s live performances with Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin, Skoota Warner on drums as well as Campbell joining them on guitar, fiddle, organ and vocals. Steady As She Goes is an absolute masterpiece.

Steady As She Goes takes you back to the days of hard driving rock and roll. With soon to be classic rock songs like “Morning Interrupted”, “A Little Faster” and “Angel of Darkness” Steady As She Goes is sure to be an instant fan favorite.

Jason Greenberg, our dedicated archivist, just posted Friday night’s show from the Beacon Theater (12/03/10) up on iTunes. The first show of Jorma’s 70th Birthday Celebration with featured special guests: Happy Traum, John Hammond, Chris Smither, Bill Kirchen, Byron House, Larry Campbell and Warren Haynes.

First Set:
1. I See The Light
2. Corners Without Exits
3. Talkin’ Bout You
4. Can’t Get Satisfied
5. Sportin’ Life Blues with Happy Traum
6. Ode To Billy Dean
7. Living Just For You
8. John Hammond …I Can Tell
9. John Hammond …. You Know That’s Cold
10. Talkin’ Bout chicken with Bill Kirchen and Larry Campbell
11. Come Back Baby with Kirchen and Warren Haynes and Larry Campbell
Second Set:
1. Water Song with Jack & Byron House
2. 99 Year Blues with Jack and Byron
3. Genesis with Larry Campbell
4. Bowlegged Woman with Warren Haynes & Larry Campbell
5. I This I Love I Want My Money Back
6. Step It Up And Go with Chris Smither
7. Rock Me Baby (with Larry Campbell, Warren Haynes, and Bill Kirchen)
8. Encore: Hit Single #1

Thanks Jason for all your hard work and dedication. It is greatly appreciated. If you see Jason, tell him, “you’re the man!”

The CAMI Tour is rolling along like a freight train. The band is picking up speed with every new performance, and with GE as the Fireman stoking the flames, you can bet every show will get hotter. Be sure to check out this tour, it’s smokin!

You can get regular updates from the road along with set lists over at Jorma’s blog, Cracks in the Finish

Jorma and Jack sat down with Brian Robbins at Jam Bands to talk about the new record. Here is some of what the had to say:

“The long-limbed, wild-haired, gold-toothed, furry freak of yesteryear is now a slicked-back big ol’ bear of a man – but Jorma Kaukonen’s passion for life has only intensified with time … and there’s still plenty of freak left when he goes deep into a jam. When not at home with his family on his Fur Peace Ranch (a music mecca in its own right), Kaukonen continues to tour the world with guitar in hand and a smile on his face.”

This statement sums up everyones excitement about the new record:

“You mentioned the freshness you heard; you know what it was like? In a way, it was like doing a Jefferson Airplane session where one of the other guys wrote the chart and I was really free for the lead stuff. I didn’t know where I was going with all the changes, you know what I mean? For me, it was really exciting in a way that, in some respects, I haven’t had for a great many years.”

Jack gives a nice shout out to his partner on the bottom end, Skoota Warner.

JC: I give a lot of credit for that freshness to Skoota Warner. He’s a unique drummer: he’s energetic, but he never overplays. Skoota picks his spots to do things that are unbelievable, but not at the expense of the meter or the groove or anything like that.

For me, it’s one of the best working relationships I’ve ever had with a drummer. We’ll work out good groove parts for the song, but at the same time, when I want to be “Jack” and put in a melody or a long-running line or something, the bottom never falls out. Skoota’s foot is as strong as any other drum he has; the foot doesn’t hole up while he’s doing a long drum roll or something – it’s part of the way he plays. And that frees everybody up to communicate.

Hot Tuna Blues Tour

Thanks to our good friend Kevin Morgan for a great poster!

Since 1930, Columbia Artists Management Inc. (CAMI) has been an international leader in the management and touring activities of performing artists and institutions, including: instrumental soloists, opera singers, conductors, classical music ensembles, orchestras, dance companies, popular and theatrical attractions, and multi-media productions.

Over the last 43 years Charlie Musselwhite has released over 30 albums. Three of those — 1990s Ace Of Harps, 1991’s Signature and 1993’s In My Time — were recorded for Alligator Records and remain among his best-selling titles. Now, Charlie Musselwhite returns to Alligator with The Well. With musical flavors from Mississippi to Memphis to Chicago, The Well is steeped in the music of Charlie’s youth — country and city blues as well as rockabilly and gospel — the music that inspired his signature sound. The fresh, new songs speak from his decades of experience, hard living, and his triumph over adversity.

The Well is the first full-band recording in Musselwhite’s long career for which he wrote or co-wrote every track on the album, and it is the most personal and the emotionally deepest cycle of songs he has ever created. The Well was recorded at Los Angeles’ legendary Sunset Sound with guitarist Dave Gonzales (Paladins, Hacienda Brothers), bassist John Bazz (The Blasters) and drummer Stephen Hodges (Tom Waits, Mavis Staples), and was produced by Chris Goldsmith (Ruthie Foster, Grammy-winning Blind Boys of Alabama). The revealing, autobiographical songs recall specific events and places in Musselwhite’s amazingly colorful life. His conversational vocals and masterful harmonica work are perfectly matched with the stories he tells and the near-telepathic musicianship behind him. Simply put, The Well is Charlie Musselwhite at his very best.

Jim Lauderdale

Jim Lauderdale is a multi-talented performer and songwriter, with successes in both country and bluegrass music. His roots stem from the Carolinas, yet his career has taken him all over the United States and abroad, making him an international recording artist with an ever-growing fan base. Jim won “Artist of the Year” and “Song of the Year” at the first “Honors and Awards Show” held by the Americana Music Association in 2002. Subsequently, he has hosted this same show for the last seven years.
He is among Nashville’s “A” list of songwriters, with songs recorded by artists such as: Patty Loveless, George Jones, The Dixie Chicks, Solomon Burke, Mark Chesnutt, Dave Edmunds, John Mayall, Kathy Mattea, Lee Ann Womack, Gary Allan, Blake Shelton. Vince Gill, and George Strait. He also contributed several songs to the successful soundtrack of the George Strait film, “Pure Country.” Not content to just write hits for the stars, he’s toured with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Rhonda Vincent and Elvis Costello, among others.

Check out the tour dates. Catch a show near you. Get out and see some live music!

The band just wrapped up a long anticipated debut show in Israel. It was a great gig. The Reading 3 Club, in Tel Aviv, is an intimate and cozy venue which makes it feel just like the Fur Peace Station. The crowd was great and everyone treated us with kindness. They even presented Jorma with a birthday cake! It was delicious! Thanks to all the people who helped put this gig together. It was very special.

Here’s what one reviewer had to say..

“When the band dove into the sublime classic instrumental “Water Song,” the club was transformed into a spiritual house of secular worship.”

Sorry about the delay in posting, we just got out of the studio and as many of you know, it has been an action packed couple of weeks!

WOW, what a weekend!! We would like to say Thank You to all the Hot F@#kin Tuna! Fans out there who showed us a tremendous amount of love and support this past weekend at the Beacon Shows. We really appreciate all the terrific comments posted on this and Jorma’s site. We just want you to know, that We Love You!

Jorma’s Birthday Celebration was special for so many reasons. It was an affirmation of the powerful connection between Jack and Jorma, friends for over fifty years, musical partners for nearly all that time. That connection extends to all the musical friendships and partnerships they have developed over five decades. Without the love and support of those musical friendships, all of this would not be possible.

It was also about the music. Loud, hard and fast! Pure Rock and Roll! It gave us energy and it took us back to our youth. We could have played all night.

Here are some photos from Saturday Night with special guests Steve Earle, Bob Weir and Michael Falzarano. Pete Sears also joined the band for several songs.

Rock On!

The fans were right. It was great to see Bob Steeler back behind the drum kit. Skoota and Bob hit it off right away. The crowd loved it and so did we. Thank you Bob for joining us and making this event a truly historic moment. It was a pleasure and an honor.

And then there was the birthday boy. Humbled by all the attention and adulation … and grateful to still be here after all these years. Life is Good. And what a good life his has been. Thank you Captain! Here’s to many more!

We will keep posting pictures and videos of the Beacon shows so stayed tuned in. We will also keep you up to date on the latest developments of the new record. It’s shaping up to be one of the best ever.

We are doing s short fall tour through the West Coast and Alaska. With our first stop at the Uptown Theater in beautiful Napa Valley. The 7 Walkers with Bill Kreutzmann will sharing the bill. It should be a rocking affair.

On Saturday we head down to San Francisco, to Golden Gate Park for a gig at the Hardly Bluegrass Festival, which is celebrating it’s Tenth Anniversary. Congratulations Everyone! Hardly Bluegrass is wonderful festival with something for everyone. Just check out the line up for the weekend. And did we mention that it is a free show. Oh yeah, take the family! This the first time Electric Hot Tuna has played the festival. We can’t wait to turn it up and Rock the Park!

Hot Tuna has decided to throw the ultimate party for Jorma’s 70th birthday, one that will mark over 50 years of performing for the renowned guitarist.

On Dec. 3 and 4, 2010, Jorma will take the stage with his celebrated band Hot Tuna for an electric show at the Beacon Theatre to kick-start the celebration. Throughout the night, fans should prepare to be astounded, as a star-studded line up of musicians and friends of Jorma’s have committed to helping him commemorate the evening. In a career that has spanned over half a century, Jorma has played and collaborated with the best musicians around. For the 70th birthday celebration, these performers will join him on stage to help embrace the occasion, their camaraderie, and most importantly the music.

Joining Jorma first and foremost will be Jack Casady. His friend and musical partner since the fifties, Jack joined Jorma in California when the two of them helped launched the legendary band Jefferson Airplane. From here they branched off and founded Hot Tuna who’s longevity and popularity has astounded even them. This union has spanned over 50 years, making Jorma and Jack two of rock’s longest standing duos.

Teaming up with Jorma and Jack will be their electric band mates. Currently touring with Hot Tuna Electric is mandolinist Barry Mitterhoff. A friend since his work on Jorma’s 2002 Grammy nominated CD, Blue Country Heart, Barry’s musical contributions to Hot Tuna add an element all their own. His career highlights are unmatched; he’s performed at the White House, and his work can be heard many movie soundtracks.

Hot Tuna is also thrilled to be playing with special guest drummer Skoota Warner. Known as “The Funky Drummer,” Skoota has performed with the likes of Santana, Matisyahu, Mary J. Blige, Cindy Lauper and Lionel Ritchie. He is tagged as one of the best Soul, Rock, Gospel & Pop drummers around and is a fresh addition to guys’ electric lineup.

Finally, Hot Tuna is ecstatic to play with this A list guest directory. Without naming names, because quite frankly they’d like to leave that a surprise, fans would be foolish not to take in one or both of these shows. The guest appearances are quite different for each night but all Jack and Jorma are willing to say is that the music will cover their early years to present with musicians from the folk, blues, songwriter, psychedelic, southern rock and contemporary world of music.

These guys are veterans of their craft. They continue to play not only because they have the ability, but also the drive to push themselves as musicians and the desire to play under any and every circumstance. It is this notion that makes this collaboration, especially on a milestone birthday like Jorma’s 70th, a truly epic event and one you won’t want to miss.